Wildly Romantic: A Multi-Genre Collection

by Lana Williams

  “I’d rather no’ wear me heart on me chest nor on me sleeve,” he said under his breath.

  “Then perhaps you’d like to just enjoy being paired up with one of the lady lovers here today?”

  Lady Love, he thought to himself, hearing her words. He felt as if he’d never be able to hear those two words again in any combination without feeling torn apart inside. He didn’t understand how it was so easy for Lovelle to say she’d marry the old man, or to order him to leave her life without even trying to fight it. The whole thought made him feel sick.

  “Nay, I dinna want any of it,” he said to Clarista.

  The minstrels were playing a cheery tune on bagpipes, and drums beat softly in the background with the tinkling of bells heard as well. The mulled, spiced wine flowed freely, as well as the mountain magic old Callum MacKeefe was passing out to the guests himself. Onyx noticed the bowl of yarrow sprigs sitting on a table, being ready to be presented to everyone there today. Those whose sprigs weren’t wilted, would find true love. He knew the one he’d get would be dead, as he was convinced there was no true love for him in this lifetime. Everyone was in good spirits except him, and there seemed to be more people than usual at the celebration.

  “Somethin’ smells good,” said Aidan to Clarista.

  “That’s either the haggis or the squirrel stew we have prepared for the Saint Valentine’s Day feast,” she told him. “Later we’ll have heart-shaped cakes and we’ll play lovers’ games as well.”

  “Squirrel stew?” asked Aidan. “Losh me! I need te go find Reid.” He hurried off to find his pet squirrel.

  “I’m sorry, Clarista,” said Onyx. “But if ye’ll excuse me, I dinna feel much like celebratin’ love today.” He looked up to see a man dressed in a bishop’s robe across the room. His mitre - tall, pointed hat – reached straight up towards the ceiling. He was dressed in white robes and held a crosier, his curved staff, in his hand. “Ye invited a bishop to join us today?” he asked, not understanding why she’d do this.

  “That is the Archbishop of Canterbury,” said Storm, coming to greet them.

  “Why is he here?” asked Onyx.

  “He came with us.” Onyx turned to see a girl with big green eyes standing there with another girl with long, brown hair down to her waist. Next to her was a girl with hair so blond it almost looked white.

  “Ian,” he said with a scowl. “I dinna want te roll in the hay with any more triplets ye find, I am sorry.”

  “You willna want te do that wit’ these lassies, believe me,” said Ian with a chuckle.

  “Then who are you?” he asked the girls. A fourth girl came up to join them, and he recognized her immediately from four years earlier. She had dark hair like him, and her features were similar to his, as well as to the girl with the big green eyes. And this girl had her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face when she saw him.

  “Remember me, Onyx?” she asked.

  “Aye, ye are the lassie from Montclair Castle.”

  “I’m also your sister,” she told him. Suddenly he knew exactly who the four girls standing in front of him were, and his heart jumped, and couldn’t find his tongue to speak.

  “I’m Amethyst,” the girl told him.

  “And I’m her twin sister, Amber,” said the girl with the big green eyes.

  “I’m Sapphire,” said the girl with the long hair and the soft, gentle voice.

  “And I’m Ruby,” finally said the girl with the whitish hair. “I’m your eldest sister.”

  “Say somethin’ ye fool,” said Ian, jabbing him with his elbow.

  “Give them a hug or somethin’,” said Aidan, coming back to join them with his squirrel in his hands.

  “I . . . I’m . . . Onyx,” he finally said, feeling awkward as well as overwhelmed. The air in the room was becoming very thin suddenly, and he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. Damn, not now, he thought, feeling his little death spell coming upon him.

  “Well, tell him all about yourselves,” said Clarista to the girls. “I’d like to hear as well, as you are all my cousin’s children, and yet I really don’t even know you. And I can’t wait for you to meet my husband.

  Storm’s wife, Wren, came to join them, holding her youngest child in her arms. “I was separated from my siblings for most my life as well, Onyx. Then we were all finally joined again, just like you with your sisters.”

  “I dinna ken what te say,” he said, struggling to get a breath of air. He wanted more than anything to walk outside right now, but wouldn’t dare with so many people staring at him. Plus he knew Aidan and Ian would hold him down if need be.

  “Are any o’ ye, single, me bonnie lassies?” asked Ian, pouring on his charm.

  They all giggled, and Onyx liked the way it sounded.

  “Nay,” said Amethyst. “We are all married and have many children between us.”

  “And we all have daggers just like Onyx,” said Ruby holding hers up for him to see.

  “Our husbands are here today as well as our children,” said Sapphire. “Would you like to meet them, Brother?”

  “Please do,” said Amber. “And we’ve brought along a special guest as well.”

  That’s when he saw his father standing across the room. He felt a knot twisting in his gut and didn’t want to think of all this at the same time. It was just too overwhelming.

  “Come on and talk to Papa,” said Amethyst, grabbing him by the arm. “We’ll tell you all about us on the way over. I am married to Earl Marcus Montclair and we have two lovely children, a boy and a girl.”

  “Nay, leave me alone,” he said. “I want nothin’ te do wit’ the man who wanted me thrown into the sea.”

  “We all thought you were dead,” said Ruby, grabbing his other arm. “Had he known you were alive, Papa would have treated you better than all of us put together. I was more or less the son he never had, learning to joust and wield a sword. I married Nyle Sheffield and though we lost a baby boy, we have three boys total now – so far.”

  “No lassies?” he asked, feeling his legs becoming queasy. He tried his hardest to get to know his new sisters and at the same time take in all this information.

  “No girls yet, but then again, Amber has only girls so far, so it evens out I guess.”

  “That’s right,” said Amber, grabbing onto his arm too. “And I hear you were reading the Book of Hours. I used to illuminate manuscripts as I trained to be a nun until I married a man that everyone thought was a devil. I can’t wait for you to meet my husband Lucifer – or Lucas as he likes to be called. We have two daughters now, and I swear none of them are devils, though they are little spitfires.”

  “So I’m no’ the only one who was referred to as a devil?” he asked, making his sisters giggle.

  “My first husband was a devil too,” said Sapphire grabbing his arm also as they pulled him across the room. “He used to beat me, but then Lord Roe Sexton saved me from all that. “We have the most children, as we have two girls, twin boys, and another child on the way.” She rubbed her stomach, and Onyx noticed the bump under her gown.

  “I’m sorry to hear that – I mean happy to hear that – I mean . . . I’m no’ sure what I mean anymore.”

  Then they stopped in front of their father, and Onyx felt himself ready to combust. His head throbbed and his mouth went dry and he really needed a dram of mountain magic. He wished more than anything that Lovelle was here right now. This little family reunion was making him feel very anxious. And now that his father was in front of him and his sisters were holding his arms, he couldn’t run even if he wanted to.

  “Onyx, son,” said the earl. “I hope you are not upset that I’m here.”

  “What difference does it make?” he asked. “I think half of England is here today, no’ te mention half o’ Scotland as well.”

  “I want to make amends,” the man told him. “I don’t want to live the rest of my life never knowing the son I so foolishly wanted out of my life so many years ago. Can you ever forgiv
e me?”

  Onyx felt dizzy and the voices in the room grew loud. The smell of the scented candles suddenly made him nauseated, and he felt so trapped by all his sisters’ hands on him right now that he wanted to scream.

  “I . . . I dinna ken,” he said, feeling confused.

  “Please, forgive me, Son,” said his father putting out his hand. Onyx just looked down at it, and it became very blurry. He felt as if he were in that wooden box once again, trapped, going to buried or drowned, and with no way out. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move. His knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground, hearing his father say the words he never wanted to hear again in his life. “I love you, son.” Then Onyx’s world went black all around him.

  Chapter 27

  Onyx was in the middle of an erotic dream. Lovelle was kissing him so passionately that he couldn’t breathe. And he heard cheering from around him and his friends calling out his name. Then Lovelle reached over and started . . . licking him on the face.

  “Dagger, get up, ye fool,” he heard Aidan call out.

  Then he heard another voice say, “Onyx, are you all right?” It was a sweet, melodic voice that he knew only too well.

  He opened his eyes to see the most wonderful sight of his life. Lovelle was hunkered down next to him, her long, blond hair falling over his chest. She held his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. He thought he was dreaming at first, until he felt something wet on his face and sat up quickly, to see that it was only Tawpie licking him. Charles came over and picked up the cat in his arms.

  “Lovelle?” he asked, looking up at her in question. “Is it really you?”

  “It is, Onyx, and now I know you are not all right as you never use my real name.”

  She reached out and kissed him, and he gently took her face in his hands. “Why are ye here?” he asked. “And should ye be kissin’ me when ye are married te thet bastard?”

  She smiled then, and laughed. It was a sound he’d been longing to hear for such a long time.

  “That bastard is my mother’s husband instead of mine,” she said, helping him to his feet. “So our lands are still secure after all, and I didn’t have to marry him.”

  “How did thet happen?” He knew there was a crowd of people around him, but he only focused on Lovelle.

  “After you left, I remembered that your father said he was friends with the archbishop of Canterbury. Actually, most your family is, but you’ll find that out in time.”

  His father. Suddenly he remembered the thing that had pushed him over the edge and made him have a death spell. His father had said he loved him.

  He started to get to his feet when a proffered hand shot out to help him. He looked up to see it was his father. Earl Talbot stood there, just waiting for Onyx to accept him.

  “It was by your father’s doing that my mother married Lord Richard instead of me,” Lovelle told him. “The archbishop has close ties with the king, and they’ve changed my betrothal. Now I’m betrothed to you instead.”

  He accepted the man’s hand slowly and got to his feet. His father smiled.

  “Love, how can thet be?” he asked curiously. “I never made the agreement with anyone fer the betrothal.”

  “No, but I did,” said the earl. “Since you are my true son, I’ve made the deal for you. I am guessing you agree to it?”

  Onyx looked over to Lovelle, feeling like his life had just gotten better. “I do,” he said. “If she’ll still have me.”

  “I will,” she answered in return. “And now, Onyx, are you going to forgive your father and make amends? After all, it is Valentine’s Day, and also Loveday. This is the day you need to forgive those who have hurt you in the past.”

  He looked at Lovelle, and then at his father and knew what she said was right. He did need to forgive, as love was truly all that mattered.

  He held out his hand and his father pulled him into his embrace. It was such a good feeling that he wondered why he’d waited so long.

  “The archbishop is here by request of Lady Lovelle,” said Clarista. “He is waiting to marry you two right now, Onyx.”

  “Now?” he asked, and his emotions started to overtake him again.

  “I couldn’t wait, and didn’t think you’d want to wait any longer either,” Lovelle told him. Then she put her arm around him. “Onyx, take a deep breath and just think of something that relaxes you. If we work on this together, we can overcome your little spells.”

  He did as she instructed, and felt relaxed, until he’d started thinking of making love with her and his heartbeat picked up again.

  “But where will we live?” he asked.

  “You are welcome to live in Blackpool,” said the earl. “After all, the castle will be yours someday, son.”

  “Dagger, ye have a family here too,” Storm reminded him.

  “Ye are always welcome to stay with the MacKeefes,” said the chieftain, Storm’s father, walking up to them. “Now thet yer father and I have made amends as well, we’ll no longer have hatred between us.”

  “And don’t forget about us,” said Amber.

  “That’s right,” said Amethyst. “We all have plenty of room in our castles for you as well, brother.”

  “Brother. Son. Husband.” Onyx tested the words on his tongue, liking the way they sounded.

  “Friend,” he heard, and turned to see Aidan standing there with his squirrel on one shoulder and Tawpie on the other. He would hate to leave any of them and was confused what to do.

  “What aboot yer mathair?” Onyx asked Lovelle. “Willna she want us te live with her as well?”

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” said Lovelle. “Or at least not until she gets over the fact I turned her plans around and she’s now the one married to Lord Richard. But they were already getting along quite nicely since they’ve married and coupled, so hopefully she’ll accept us back there soon. The whole castle has heard their throes of passion, if you know what I mean. Actually, I think they’ll be good for each other. My mother has been alone so long that she needs a man to . . . make her change her ways.”

  “Then I’ll let ye decide where we live, Love.”

  “I’d like to take turns and stay with everyone so we can both get to know all of our family members.”

  “I like thet idea,” he said with a nod. “And we’ll start with livin’ in the Highlands.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to live in the Highlands in the summer instead, as I really can’t bear the harsh elements of nature like you can.”

  “Whatever ye want,” he said, giving her a kiss. “But Love, I still feel bad thet we couldna find a way te cure ye o’ yer color blindness.”

  “At least she’s not totally blind,” said Wren from her husband’s side. “Believe me, I know what that is like.”

  “I don’t mind,” said Lovelle. “As long as you are with me, nothing matters. But the healer did tell me about a few herbs I could possibly try to help my vision. And I assure you, it has nothing to do with charms. Matter of fact, since my mother no longer wanted the Book of Hours, I decided to give it away. Storm told me about a monastery in Murthly, right here in Scotland that would love to have it.”

  “Thet’s right,” said Storm. “Since the village is in Perth, ye can stop on the way te the Highlands if ye e’er want te see it.”

  “Och, I dinna think I’ll e’er need te see thet crazy book again,” said Onyx. “But I do thank ye jest the same.”

  “Here, Dagger,” said Charles coming up and handing something to him.

  “Now you have your lovers’ knot,” said Lovelle, putting it over his wrist. “I have one too.” She held up her wrist to show him. “We can use these in place of rings until we have the chance to get some, now let’s go get married.”

  The crowd cheered, and as they headed over to the archbishop, he noticed the blind old hag standing in the shadows in the corner.

  “Jest give me one moment,” he told Lovelle, and walked over by himself to confront he
r.

  “Ye seem to appear and disappear like magic,” he said as he walked up to the old woman.

  “Ye deserve that dagger after all,” she told him in a crackly old voice. “And I think that out of all the siblings you will know love more than even any of your sisters, as you have come the longest way.”

  “Who are ye, auld woman? I dinna e’en ken yer name.”

  “Names don’t matter, as none of you will ever see me again after today, because my task here is now finished.”

  “What task?” he asked. “And from where do ye come?”

  “None of that matters, Onyx. When we stop living in the past or the future and live in the present, life takes on a whole new meaning.”

  “Ye sound like some kind o’ a witch or somethin’. Are ye?”

  “I like to think of myself as a guardian. I’ve watched over all of Mirabelle’s children until they found their true loves in order to right the wrong I did to her the day I cursed her.”

  “But I thought ye said she cursed herself, auld woman, ye make no sense.”

  “We are all a part of each other, Onyx. So when you hurt another, you also hurt yourself. You were my favorite among the siblings, I must admit. And if I’d had a son, I’d want him to be just like you.”

  “Tell me what I can do fer ye, auld woman. I want to do somethin’ to help ye. I am so grateful, as ye were the one te save me life.”

  “Was I?” She chuckled. “We make our own destinies as your friends Aidan and Ian are about to find out.”

  “Will ye be there fer them as well?” he asked.

  “Nay, but you will. Do not forget about your old family just because you’ve found a new one now.”

  “I’ll ne’er ferget or abandon anyone. E’er, I swear.”

  “Then my time here has come to an end. And your mother says to tell you . . . she loves you . . . all.”

  “Onyx? What’s taking so long?” he heard Lovelle as she came up behind him.

  He knew if he turned his head the old woman would be gone, so instead he just kept staring directly at her. Then right before his eyes, she dissipated into thin air. Before she did, he saw another woman come up to join her. A woman who smiled at him and reminded him of all his sisters rolled into one. Aye, he knew without a doubt he’d just gotten a glimpse of his true mother.